Marc’s Musings and Random Rants

Now I'm not one to moan (much), but I'm starting to get a bit peeved with the council-run Pavilion 'leisure' centre. I only go there because it's cheap and convenient but I think after next weekend I'll find somewhere else. Today's visit is a good example:

1. Poor customer service
   Admittantly I was pretty unlucky to turn up to use the gym today behind a swim party of about thirty children, but that is no excuse for having three people behind the desk and only one serving. When I do eventually get served, there's not even a 'sorry to keep you waiting, sir'. Just a swipe of the card, and in I go. Why can't they have a swipe machine that I can use and go straight in, like in my old gym?




2. Changing Rooms
   The changing rooms are pretty nasty, but are probably the best air conditioned part of the building. They are in desperate need of a good clean – their idea of cleaning is detaching the fire hose and giving the area a quick wash down, during normal opening hours – but preferably a refurbishment. I daren't describe the toilets, but at least they have working soap dispensers now.




3. Hot & sweaty gym
   The air conditioning in the gym is very inconsistent, and today completely non existent. During the hot summer months, with many of the clientele unsure of the definition of personal hygiene (never mind general gym etiquette), the ambience can turn rather stale to say the least.




4. IGE (in-gym entertainment)
   The council should at least invest in improving the entertainment in the gym. Currently there are four small televisions usually showing BBC1 or ITV1 with subtitles. Again, my old gym had four plasma screens with Sky and plug-in sound boxes on all CV equipment. Today we had two of my worst nightmares, namely the Weakest Link 'quiz' (with sixty-twenty year-old Anne Robinson) and the 'sport' Cricket (with some blokes strolling around in the sun, until it rains).

The main reason behind the lack of investment compared to my old gym is that the latter was a public-private partnership. It was actually a Holmes Place (of which I only recently found the Bromley branch) and had heavy investment during my year-long membership. In fact the gym was completely refurbished, along with the dry changing rooms, reception, bar, shop and decor. More has probably been done since I left.

I am paying less here (although that does include corporate discount) so I can't complain too much, it just seems like some very basic improvements should be undertaken to make visits more bearable. Of course I could make my feelings known using their 'talk back' service but I don't think the forms are large enough…

In less than two weeks I, with a dozen or so other people from work, will be taking part in the Care International UK 24 Peaks Challenge 2005. This is the biggest event in the Challenge Series calendar and is taking place in the Lake District on 3 and 4 September. It’s all to raise £10k for the above charity, which our fundraising (through quizzes, raffles, corporate donations etc.) has already exceeded to date.

The event itself is a grueling task, walking/hiking/climbing 24 peaks, each over 2400 feet, within 24 hours. There are 13 teams entering this year and our team also has a support crew of six or seven to cook and drive for us!

I have been training for this event at the gym for over five months and the team have done a couple of tough weekends in the Peak District (snow, blizzards, 0°) and Brecon Beacons (sun, sun, 30°). However, none of this training can prepare you for the real thing – especially the mental willingness to get through the task.

If you would like to sponsor the team, you can do so through the specially set up Just Giving website. If you mark your sponsorship as ‘Gift Aid’ then tax is reclaimed from the Inland Revenue and added to the donation total.

Wish me luck!

The weather was pretty bad in Bromley first thing today. In fact, the road outside my flat was completely flooded. Unfortunately, many idiots on the road don't know what to do in these circumstances such as this one who ended up flooding his engine and blocking the whole road for everyone else!

Of course as quickly as the rain dropped during the storm, it had disappeared down the sewer. Doesn't look like there will be a hosepipe ban in this part of Kent this summer…

I have become rather annoyed with car drivers of late. I suppose that goes with living on the outskirts of London and only driving myself once or twice a week (I walk to work, and most other places at that). In light of this I thought I would put together a new Suburban Highway Code for how to survive on those wild roads.

The minimum speed in a built-up area is 30mph. For Widmore Road and Masons Hill, this is increased to 50mph.

Slow down to 30mph for speed camera before revving off at 50mph when past its range.

Once the traffic warden has been past, you should park on double-yellow lines or other restricted spaces.

Obey all traffic restrictions. Except when the traffic is a bit busy in town but the bus lanes are empty.

   

Refrain from using your indicators at all times. Especially avoid letting pedestrians know where you're going.

Traffic lights are for show. If they're red, just go straight through.

I had trouble finding signs for no mobile phone hands-free kits permitted and bus drivers must ignore the entire Highway Code.

'Thanks Sherlock' footnote: THIS IS A JOKE!

Ten percent of the UK population (15% of the TV audience) reportedly tuned into the ($10m) double-pilot of Lost on Channel 4 last night to see Jack and his fellow passengers working out where they were (it turns out they are "lost") after crash-landing on a desert island. UK reviews were mixed, with the Daily Mail taking quite a bit of flak from readers' responses to their own TV critic.

For the ninty percent who missed the show last night, Lost is ABC's attempt at a big-budget fictional version of (US) Survivor where the unsuspecting 'participants' are thrown together in the middle of knowhere to fend for themselves. This seemingly includes dealing with mysterious forces, wild animals, each other and oneself, leading to predictable conflicts between many characters (US Soldier vs. former Iraqi National Guard for example) and flashbacks of individual's past wrongdoings.

The double-pilot was predictably vague, but a lot more information about the series, and what is to be expected in 25 (!) weeks time can be found at the usual sources (1; 2; 3; 4). Without reading these spoilers/speculations, here is what I think is going on:

• The plane crashing on the island was not a natural event – somehow they were drawn to the island, possibly by its (currently undetailed) other occupants




• The island itself is some kind of military research unit from which it is impossible to escape




• The survivors of the crash were chosen to take part in the experiment. The others (un)fortunate enough to be elsewhere on the plane were not interesting (nor good looking) enough to be part of the research.




• The wild animals found on the island are results of military experiments. The missing dog will survive the whole series unharmed.
  




• Part of the research is to see how (wo)man can deal with the pressures of the island's conditions as well as each other




• Inhabitants are under Truman Show-style surveillance, probably by a research facility also placed somewhere on the island (maybe inside a James Bond style 'concealed volcano', as was suggested at work today)

These are obviously guesses and after only two hours of the show so far, are completely unfounded! But the fact that so many people are talking about Lost will mean that this will be a sure-fire hit for Channel 4, and another successful export for ABC.